Congressional Briefing Highlights Prevention Breakthroughs

March 10, 2011—Recent scientific advances and a renewed commitment to reaching those most at risk have helped bring about a critical turning point in the effort to prevent new HIV infections, agreed participants at a March 9 amfAR-sponsored Congressional briefing.

Encouraging results from studies of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP (a daily pill to prevent infection), microbicides (topical gels), and potential vaccines offer hope that biomedical strategies may soon be added to the prevention arsenal. In the U.S., the National HIV/AIDS Strategy is providing a framework for scaling up and targeting effective community interventions in at-risk populations.

Dr. Kevin Fenton of the CDC with Dr. Susan Blumenthal, amfAR’s senior policy and medical
advisor, and Chris Collins, vice president and
director of public policy.

The panelists, who included biomedical and socio-behavioral researchers, public health officials, and advocates, emphasized the importance of employing multiple strategies in order to stem the tide of new infections. “AIDS cannot be adequately addressed just through technologies,” noted Susan Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A., amfAR’s senior medical and policy advisor, who moderated the briefing. “We also need to employ behavioral science, and we need to address the discrimination, stigma, and human rights issues that are driving the epidemic worldwide.”

An amfAR issue brief released at the meeting and titled Accelerating an HIV Prevention Revolution: A Roadmap details the full range of current and potential prevention strategies and offers policy recommendations for moving the field forward. (The issue brief was subsequently updated in July 2011.)

In a series of video interviews, several panelists who participated in the briefing shared their perspectives on new biomedical and sociobehavioral strategies that are helping to revolutionize HIV prevention.

Don Des Jarlais, Ph.D.Director of Research, Rothschild Chemical Dependency InstituteBeth Israel Medical CenterProfessor, Dept. of Epidemiology and Public HealthAlbert Einstein School of MedicineHarm Reduction in the US and Globally